We are so thrilled to be one of the first stockists of this (we think) great new T-shirt brand Golden Age. It’s founder Jonathan is a regular in our shop and we heard all about the trials and tribulations of production along the way. We were always impressed by his commitment to producing an affordable, original, quality garment and finally, they are here. So well done Johnny- but hang on…we want to know more….

Hello Johnny, we like your cool T-shirts, what was the inspiration behind them? Thank you! In this age of computer games and hi-tech toys I wanted to create a range of t-shirts that reflected a simpler and more innocent time for kids. I have always loved vintage books and illustrations, so I spent hours browsing in antiquarian shops and found some beautiful but really simple designs that work brilliantly on t-shirts.

What was your favourite childhood book. Why? I loved Charlie and Chocolate factory – and once even met Roald Dahl at a book-signing.  But now my favourite kid’s book is Treasure Island.

 So, now you’re a small producer – (yey!) What are the future plans ‘Golden Age’.I have loads of exciting new design ideas in the pipe-line. I can’t wait to see them in the shops.

Part- time Sales Assistant wanted.

We are looking for someone lovely, creative, intelligent and full of initiative to work on a part time basis with us.

14hrs per week (including weekends) more hours occasionally.

You must:

Sometimes be flexible with your hours/days.

Have a creative outlook and an eye for good design and visual merchandising.

Have a positive attitude and plenty of experience in customer service.

Be organized and tidy.

Be honest and trustworthy.

Be computer savvy.

Optional:

Be brimming with ideas on how to help take this business forward- be able to devise and implement crafty activities (extra hours and extra pay) and make yourself part of a team.

Have a flair for window displays.

Be a parent- or have worked with kids and have good knowledge of parents/kids needs.

Is this for you? If it is please write a short introduction  about why you would like to work for us, and what you have to offer and return it to us WITH A SHORT CV by MAY 27th.

We’ve got lots of awesome new books coming very soon! Here’s a sneeky peek..simply click on each image if you want more detail….

If you follow us, then you may remember our post last April about Lego’s new ‘girls’ range, and how disappointed we were to discover that Lego had finally succumbed to the growing trend for categorizing toys into gender.

Let Toys Be Toys is a new parent-led grass roots campaign calling for retailers to stop limiting children’s imaginations and interests by promoting some toys as only suitable for girls, and others only for boys.

Founding member Kerry Brennan said; “Everyone agrees that children should be free to choose to play with any kind of toy, but this is difficult if toys are strongly marketed with pictures, labels and descriptions that focus on one gender or the other, and if they are displayed in separate sections in the shop”.

We think categorising toys by gender stereotyping stops children playing with certain toys, potentially limiting their options in later life. Its why we work hard to stock brands which we think cross genders. We love unisex brands like Boys&Girls, Toots a Macginty and we stock great toys, packaged in a way that appeals to any gender and books that encourage the imagination and creativity of ANY child.

Djeco Construction set coming soon

Djeco Drawing game coming soon

Boys&Girls Stripe crew neck top

On our website we catagorize our items firstly by Toys, Clothes, Books, Baby Gifts but we also have the option of searching by age and then (and only as a last resort) by gender. …..although you might find that the boys and girls sections are pretty much the same.

We think its cool to be comfy and colourful and confident- but never to conform.

This weekend we had the inevitable Spring clear out. While emptying dusty boxes from my attic I came across some precious old photos of my mum, uncle and grandad enjoying some beach time in Whitstable. They spent many days there…a tradition my family continue to this day.

..and weirdly it made me think how constantly inspired I am by these little snippets of time past. It’s why eenymeeny is full of vintage inspired toys and gifts, classic clothes and generally things that take me back to my childhood or even the childhood of my parents.

If something is good enough, it’s timeless and should bring joy for years to come.

clockwise from top left:

Toots a Macginty pop over jacket

Little Duckling apron dress

Toots a Macginty pant and vest set

Bensimon sneakers

Camera water pistol

Traditional box kite

Following on from the success of the date prints, the clever people at Ruka-Ruka have sent us these fab new alphabet block prints. Also made to order, in four different colourways and with your own message we think they make a gorgeous new baby, birthday or Christening gift.

Cateura, Paraguay is a small city that has grown atop a massive garbage dump and is regarded as one of the poorest slums in Latin America, a village where people live among a sea of garbage. Incredibly, the landfill itself is the primary form of subsistence for many residents within the slum who pick through waste for items that can be used or sold. Prospects for most of the children born in Cateura is bleak as gangs and drugs await many of them. But then one day, something amazing happened.

A garbage picker named Nicolás Gómez (known as “Cola”) found a piece of garbage that resembled a violin and brought it to musician Favio Chávez. Using other objects collected from the dump the pair constructed a functional violin in a place where a real violin is worth more a house. Using items gleaned completely from trash pair then built a cello, a flute, a drum, and suddenly a wild idea was born: could a children’s orchestra be born in one of the most depressed areas in the world? As you can guess the answer was yes.

Now a group of filmmakers, producers, and photographers are trying to tell the story of the orchestra through a documentary titled Landfill Harmonic. The orchestra seems poised to offer many of the children opportunities outside of the slum— they are already planning a multi-city tour around the U.S. The movie is currently being funded on Kickstarter and just passed the halfway mark today. Watch the video above and you can learn more over on their Facebook. Backed!

(Words by Christopher from Collossal )

If you have visited us recently, you may have noticed our wall art painted by the brilliantly talented Spanish duo Cachete Jack. We discovered them last year at the ‘Pick Me Up’ art fair at Somerset House. I’m pleased to say that this truly excellent show is on again this year. Pick Me Up is the UK’s original graphic arts festival, focussing on contemporary graphic art, design and illustration.

Now in its fourth year, Pick Me Up packs together the most exciting international talent from the wonderfully diverse field of graphic arts for an 11-day extravaganza of creative workshops, late-night art and music mash-ups, quirky family-fun events and interactive shopping spaces with original, affordable artwork and limited-edition prints on sale from £10.

See you there!